Hi. We are a design/style LA based company specializing in mixing eclectic styles on moderate budgets. Also we have a strange amount of fun blogging about all our design and style adventures. Right now I’m happy to say that I’m Target’s home spokesperson, bringing accessible/stylish design to the masses.

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The 10 Design Books That Have Inspired the Mountain House

In my attempt to be “device-free” on the weekends yet satisfy my insatiable desire to shop, style and decorate on Saturday mornings, I have returned to print media. In case you don’t know what that is, it refers to paper—magazines, catalogs and, most importantly, books. I’m a voracious reader and while so much of our design content is given to us digitally these days, it’s hard to be consuming it at all hours behind a screen for the fear that my kids will think I value technology over “connection.” Thus, my recent love revival of anything in print that satisfies my design and aesthetic addiction, while not feeling like a piece of garbage parent. While designing the mountain house over the last year, I have consistently pulled out and flipped through (and bookmarked) so many great design books. I love so many other books (see the end of the post) but this article is about the books that have directly influenced the design of the mountain house. It’s time to highlight and give credit: here are the 10 best design books for me right now (with regards to mountain fixer inspiration) that have really helped me be a better designer (and parent).

by Lauren Liess

Lauren Liess is a real talent and she has designed her father’s lake house as well as many others highlighted in her book. Her design style is classy, classic and warm in a way that feels like you’re nooking into the corner of your favorite couch or chair drinking coffee out of an extra-special mug. She has given me ideas and inspiration on so many weekends. THANK YOU LAUREN. I am also endlessly impressed with the fact that she has five kids and a show on HGTV. Congrats and kudos, Lauren.

by Hilary Robertson

This book is STUNNING. Hilary Robertson is a master stylist and editorial storyteller and this book is full of inspiration without any color in a good way (we highlighted that dark navy wall, but most of it is white, neutral or black). It’s simple and modern but with so much warmth. I find new things to love every time I flip through it.

by Nina Freudenberger

This book is amazing. It’s full of more real homes that, ahem, are not “shacks” in any sense of the word but instead have so much inspiration and ideas that take the fussiness out of design. It’s not totally boho but instead builds a lovely bridge between relaxed and cohesive. It’s BEAUTIFUL.

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by Julie Carlson

I think I can say with all my confidence that is my #1 source of digital design porn on a daily basis. The curated eye and sophisticated yet warm home features make me want to be a better person. Their book, even though it’s years old, feels fresh, modern and timeless. (I also love their ). NINETYFIVE CHEERS FOR THIS BRAND, THEIR DAILY CONTENT, THE PEOPLE BEHIND IT AND THE BOOKS THEY PUBLISH.

by Natalia Walton

A sleeper hit that I personally think needs way more attention. This book, like Hilary’s above, is SO beautiful. It tells story after story of how to do life simply, but with texture, depth and warmth. Nine thumbs up.

by Niki Brantmark

I bought this book before I worked with Niki and I’m so happy to say that the book is as lovely as she is. Before Brian broke the news that Scandinavian wasn’t his thing (ahem), I referenced this book for the main inspiration for the house. Since we made the “rustic” shift, it’s still applicable because it’s full of stunning photos of Scandi chalets.

by Rhonda Eleish & Edie van Breems

This book speaks to more eclectic, Old-World Scandinavian interiors. It’s not exactly where we are headed but it has a ton of inspiration toward the warmth and coziness that Brian wants (and eye-candy that I love).

by Diane Keaton

This book is an absolute inspiration. It has no resources or how-to information but if you stare hard enough, you LEARN about how to create an inspiration minimal, neutral but warm home. It’s full of integrity and magic (#hidianekeaton).

is a design firm that I admire immensely, so I pour over this book and have for years. They do so many different kinds of projects but all of them have something unexpected that creates a tension you can’t look away from.

by Nathan Williams

The brand is strong and enticing. This book is full of hipster porn, in the “handmade modern” vibe (I mean, I need to trademark that RIGHT NOW). It’s like Amish-meets-super-rich and I want to be both of those things (hot tip: It’s founded by lovelMormonon people of which I was also raised so I feel a-kin to these folks). It’s so pretty, and page after page is full of ideas.

Again, there are so many other books that I LOVE including , , , , Christiane Lemieux’s , but these are the books that have directly influenced how I design the mountain house and books in which I find so much inspiration.

What am I missing? I would love any new recommendations for more inspiration, also because I have many more years of laying on the living room floor while Charlie and Birdie are playing Legos. As a mom, I want to be near but busy so they feel safe but independent. I also read most shelter magazines and any and all catalogs, and I NEVER thought I’d love catalogs so much. Leave your suggestions in the comments so I can keep this weekend ritual for the rest of my life.

“Handcrafted Modern” gives texture to the popular mid-century designers. Leslie Williamson, a photographer, photographs the homes of several designers and artists in their “natural state.” Every photo feels so intimate and natural, like the owner had just gotten up from a chair to go grab a fresh cup of coffee in another room. PLEASE google it. The cover of the book will say enough.

Nice post. I have some of those books and Amazon has suggested most of the others to me, but since I’ve never seen them in person I was hesitant to buy them (Monochrome home in particular). So what catalogs are you enjoying? I’ve tried very successfully to purge catalogs from my life because companies just can’t send you one and then you end up with sooo much recycling. However, I do really miss the Design Within Reach catalog. Really good inspiration.

I collect and LOVE design/decorating books so thanks for this post. How about a post on your 10 favorite “old” design books? Here are the books on interior design/decorating that I’ve found most useful/fun/inspiring:

1. English Houses, by Ben Pentreath: I like stuff (to a controlled degree) and this book is just so charming — looking at English houses filled with stuff.
2. Color Palettes: Atmospheric Interiors and Color: Natural Palettes for Painted Rooms. Both are old books by Donald Kaufman (of the paint). These never fail to inspire when I’m looking for paint color ideas.
3. Modern Mix, by Eddie Ross. What a surprisingly useful and fun book to flip through. His style is a little over the top for me but this book is really informative about antique collecting and what to look for. He’s got all of his silver stored in an old Sears tool chest on wheels that he’s spray painted lime green. It’s ridiculous but a really good storage idea for small pieces like silverware.
4. At Home with Books: How Book Lovers Live with and Care for Their Libraries, by Estelle Ellis. It’s from 1995 but still the best book I’ve found for ideas on how to display, store, enjoy rooms filled with books. And I’ve got a lot of books.
5. Finer Things, by Christiane Lemieux. Some design books for the uber-rich are more annoying and useless than inspirational. But this book wasn’t that. It’s really informative, and fun to flip through. I like to learn something from design books and not just have pretty pictures. This was both.
6. Home by Design, by Sarah Susanka or any of her “not so big house” books. She was ahead of the curve advocating fewer McMansions and encouraging the movement to build smaller but better quality and more interesting houses.
7. The Monocle Guide to Cosy Homes. Inspirational yet practical. It’s got a wide wide variety of homes featured.
8. Domestic Art: Curated Interiors. It’s a big book filled with crazy people’s homes. Great fun to flip through.
9. Styled, by you. 🙂 Your book is specific and really useful and doesn’t just have the same old repetitive decorating advice that some designers try to pass off as helpful/original (“your fireplace is a focal point” or “lighting is important” — yeah, thanks for clearing that up!).
10. The New Bohemians, by Justina Blake. I don’t like boho interiors. I don’t want my house to look like Stevie Nicks lives there. Yet on page after pate, this book had interesting decor ideas that I could tone down and make my own.

I think this weekend I’ll drag out a big pile of these books and float through them. 🙂

I like this post. However, can we please not refer to the mountain house as a “fixer”? You say “mountain fixer inspiration.” That hone was 3x the size and 2x the price of my primary residence before the reno, so it was already quite nice imho.

The house was dated – its a fixer upper. It will have more value, both to Emily’s family, and on the real estate market, when the good bones, location, etc are ‘fixed up.’ That’s what fixer-upper means. It’s not referring to its size or purchase price.

Not a book recommendation but a mom hack – I recently invested in Apple AirPods and started getting free audio books via the apps Hoopla and Libby. It satisfies my need for intellectual stimulation and allows me to be more present for my kids as I can focus on them visually and be responsive too (it’s not like music where it drowns out the other noises in the room). Highly recommend (particularly great for nursing moms)!

Those are some of my favorites, especially Remodelista and Surf Shack. I also love Terence Conran’s Plain Simple Useful. I don’t buy books much anymore as I currently have 16 boxes of them in storage, so now I use Pinterest and Instagram (too much).

I love the books you’ve listed here and I would add the Farrow & Ball book ‘How to Decorate.’ It’s definitely not mountain-y but it’s gloriously inspiring and well organized with good tips for using color.

This is amazing, I absolutely agree with what you say about print media.

First becoming a designer I thought, “everything is online, I don’t need a design library” but the more years I spend staring at my devices, the more my eyes need a break and to just touch and feel quality paper covered in quality design. I even have started preferring browsing furniture catalogs rather than the web and I’m a MILLENNIAL.

I put the Scandinavian Home on my amazon wishlist. Is the book D I S P L A Y A B L E as well???

I can’t even do a kindle because after spending all day writing the blog and on social media, I KNOW that a kindle makes more sense but I just need to not touch tech anymore. I’m all full up with the tech experience by 9pm and on weekends, (apart from the occasional story that I WANT to do), so i put it away.

You listed my 3 favorite design books ever. Remodelista is timeless and I don’t care what style comes and goes I will always strive for that vibe. It’s my absolute favorite design book. I also own The Scandinavian Home and Kinfolk home. They easily round out my top 3. If you want color The New Bohemians is a good one as well as Marfa Modern.

Excited to add many of these to my existing collection. Love the idea of device free weekends spent with books. 🙂 I do think Handmade Modern has been taken already: . Erin is awesome and I think you’ll enjoy her vibe. Cheers!

Lauren Liess’s book is so helpful and directly affected many decisions in the planning and building of our home. I found her info to be much like your “how to” posts (hanging curtains, rules for the size of coffee table, etc.) It is both informative and incredibly inspiring, and I miss her blog!

A book I don’t have but lust after is Brooke’s from the blog Velvet and Linen. I think it may be titled Patina Farm. I’m sure it is amazing b/c of the content she and her husband post on their blog.

I love you for this list as I just worked my library request system hard to get half the books listed here. I’m saving the other half for after I finish the first stack 🙂 Also…. I love Lauren Liess!!!! She is my design love! Based on what I’ve been seeing for your mountain house I’m not entirely surprised but yes entirely delighted to see her amazing book on the list.
Also yeah, books definitely make me feel like a more accessible mom than vanishing into a screen. I feel like my face is zoned out and zombie like when I’m on a device and more present and engaged looking, therefore more interruptable and available to the family when I’m reading a book. Hope that makes sense.

Some nice choices. I tend to be a bit more reckless in my interior design alternating between streamlined neutrals and over the top colour and texture. So for those out there like myself I would like to recommend “Decorate Fearlessly!” by Susanna Salk. Great book for those of us who want to be more adventurous.

ha. i love so many. Rejuvenation,. Serena and Lily. Target. West Elm. Dash and Albert. Garnet Hill. Pottery Barn. I hate the waste, but I love that i can hang with my kids and still check a few work boxes without being attached to a device, while looking at something so pretty.

Thank you so much for this post, I have been wanting to buy some new books for ages but just didn’t really know where to start? I have the book ‘Decorating with style’ by Abigail Ahern that I always refer to and a new one called ‘Mad about the house’ by Kate-Watson Smyth. Mad about the house has some great tips but not really any pictures and I am more of a visual person so I suppose it depends on what you like.

I ordered several of these books after reading this post and was disappointed to find that they feature almost entirely white homeowners. The lack of diversity in hundreds of pages of content left me wanting more varied portraits.

Love this post, Emily! I have many of those books, and the ones named here in comments, but there are a few that I think I need to get!

Your book, Styled, has been indispensable to me in so many decorating situations! I find I gaze at Northern Delights (Scandinavian Homes, Interiors & Design) more than most of my books and lately I’ve been so inspired by Casa Mexico by Annie Kelly. Probably because its the opposite of my taste but the COLORS give me an immediate mood boost!

I buy through catalogs so I get TONS. Love all the ones you mentioned and CB2 as well. The Fred Segal collaboration is SO GOOD!

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Emily is a stylist, author and T.V. host with a strong commitment to vintage inspired approachable home style for every single person. Perfection is boring; Let’s get weird. learn more

Interior Design Blog by Youxi988

I started this interior design blog in 2010 as a journal of my style and home projects with the belief that design should be approachable, informational and accessible no matter what budget.

As a home style expert who has a strong commitment to peeling back the intimidating layers of the world of home decor, and showing how every person can have a beautiful home that represents their personality, no matter what the budget.

After styling for magazines and catalogues for years, I started my own interior design blog, won HGTV Design Star, and have gone on to host my own hit TV show Secrets from a Stylist, Author the book STYLED, and create the design firm Youxi988 Design.

My motto has always been to write and publish on my blog what I personally want to read about.